Local

A battle over water UConn's plan to pull water from Northwest Connecticut reservoirs worries conservationists BY KURT MOFFETT REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Communities and conservationists from Avon to Barkhamsted are raising concerns that a proposal to supply water to the University of Connecticut's Storrs campus could threaten economies and habitats along the Farmington River.

The University of Connecticut is considering three options to provide an additional 2 million gallons of water per day to its Storrs campus and the town of Mansfield to serve future development projects.

The options include a connection with the Connecticut Water Co., which would extend a pipeline from Tolland; a connection with Windham Water Works in the southern section of Mansfield; and a connection with the Metropolitan District Commission, which would extend a pipeline from East Hartford.

The MDC's proposed 20-mile pipeline is creating the most consternation. The state's flagship university has received more than 20 letters from town officials, residents, environmental groups and outdoor recreational organizations that oppose the proposal.

The MDC, which provides water and sewer services to Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor, gets its water from the Barkhamsted and Nepaug reservoirs. Opponents and critics fear that bringing water from one side of the state to the other will dry up the Farmington River, destroying not only some of the natural habitats along the river but a major economic driver in terms of fishing, kayaking and tourism.

Barkhamsted First Selectman Donald S. Stein wrote in his letter to UConn that the river is his town's "best known and most significant tourist attraction and attracts fishermen from many parts of the country." The annual Riverton Fishing Derby is a 63-year-old tradition.

"The river is fed by the Hogback Reservoir and the Colebrook River Lake and the potential for future diversion of West Branch waters in to the Barkhamsted Reservoir could be devastating to the fish and the river environment," he wrote. "I recognize that this diversion is not in the current proposal but the MDC has not taken that option off the table for future consideration."

Opponents maintain climate change is already affecting the river. Cherie Robinson, chairman of the Farmington River Coordinating Committee, a body charged by Congress with responsibility for coordinating the activities of a 14-mile upper section of the river, wrote in her letter that there is evidence of "recurring drought conditions and declining water levels due to decreased rainfall and snowmelt — as well as increased development in the watershed."

The committee, she stated, recommends that UConn and Mansfield do more to conserve water rather than divert it from another watershed. "Diverting water would be a dangerous precedent to set with unanticipated detrimental consequences," she wrote.

The MDC counters that it can safely supply up to 12 million gallons of water per day to future customers without hurting its existing customers or diverting additional water from the Farmington River. The water would come from the reservoirs, not the river. The MDC, a nonprofit municipal corporation established in 1929, would continue to release a minimum of 32 million gallons of water into the river.

The MDC would not have to build a pipeline from Barkhamsted to UConn because it already has the ability to transport water from Barkhamsted to East Hartford. The agency would not need to acquire private properties from East Hartford to Mansfield because the pipeline would go through existing public rights of way.

Chris Stone, the MDC's assistant counsel, said the district has no plans to open the Route 44 corridor, which was built alongside much of the Farmington River, to economic development. Many critics and opponents to the MDC proposal worry that towns would tap into the 20-mile pipeline, placing more demand on a potentially shrinking water source.

"Our charge has been, 'How can you bring two million gallons of water to UConn and the town of Mansfield?'" Stone said. "That's it, no more, no less, no spinoffs or offshoots to Coventry or Bolton or anywhere else."

MDC's proposal would cost more than $51.2 million, according to Milone & MacBroom, the Cheshire-based engineering consulting firm UConn hired to conduct its Environmental Impact Evaluation for this project. The Windham Water Works proposal would cost $44.4 million and the Connecticut Water Co.'s, $20.1 million.

According to Milone & MacBroom, none of the three options would cause "significant adverse environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated." The Connecticut Water and Windham Water Works proposals, however, "present a lesser degree of risk" than the MDC's because they do not require as long a pipeline.

Each one, though, has financial, technical, regulatory and contractual hurdles to overcome, "any one of which could prevent the alternative from moving forward," Milone & MacBroom reported.

UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said the need for more water is based on the university's plan to build a technology park at its main campus, with a groundbreaking possible next year, plus the potential for development at a remote campus area where the university is already conducting fuel cell and transportation research.

Storrs is a section of the town of Mansfield, which is also redeveloping the "Four Corners" section and has a number of residential development plans, including an assisted living community, in the works, Reitz said. All of these developments will require reliable sources of potable water over the next several decades.

The Fenton River well field is the university's main source of water. That river went dry in September 2005 during a dry season that coincided with the students' return to campus.

Reitz said water use on campus is actually lower now than it was a decade ago, despite the area's growth in population and infrastructure, because of conservation efforts. Roughly 17,500 undergraduates, including commuters, attend the 3,100-acre Storrs campus, up from 16,700 in 2008. Approximately 3,800 full-time and part-time staff work in 125 buildings.

Reitz said UConn is also expected to begin operating a new water reclamation facility early this year that will treat up to 1 million gallons of nonpotable water per day. This water will be used to help run UConn's co-generation power plant, which provides electricity, air conditioning and heat across much of the campus. The plant is the largest user of potable water on campus, requiring as much as 350,000 to 400,000 gallons of water on a hot summer day.

Despite those efforts, the university still needs more water.

"We're not short of water now," Reitz said. "(The Fenton River) does meet our current needs but for the future it would not if you want the sort of development that is being viewed and the kind of growth that is being viewed it wouldn't be adequate."

Reitz said it has not been determined how the project will be funded.

"The cost and funding methods will vary based on the option (or options) selected and the terms of agreements reached with the suppliers," she said.

Each option will require permits and approvals, with opportunities for public comment at each stage. Reitz said UConn hopes to complete its environmental evaluation this spring and negotiate agreements later in the year. Design and construction could take three to five years to complete, depending on the option selected.

IF YOU GO:

A hearing on the three water supply proposals the University of Connecticut is considering is scheduled for 7 tonight in the human resources training room at UConn Health Center's Munson Building, 16 Munson Road, Farmington.

Written comments may also be sent through Jan. 31 to Jason M. Coite, University of Connecticut -- Office of Environmental Policy, 31 LeDoyt Road, U-3055, Storrs, CT 06269, or fax at 860-486-5477, or email at jason. coite@uconn.edu.

Follow Us

Old Timer wrote on Jan 22, 2013 8:53 AM:

" The West Branch of the Farmington ran at minimum release from the Colebrook reservoir for a good deal of the summer and early fall, due to a lack of water. Let Eastern Connecticut use water from their own area or the Connrecticut River. Anybody evee0==r thought of that? DUUUUUH!! "

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.